Previously, such a situation existed in Lithuania 15 years ago, when only every fifth eligible voter came to the ballot box. Vilnius residents surveyed by Latvian Radio mention protection, education, environmental problems and human rights among the priorities of the European Union (EU). Voters plan their choice both very deliberately and make it at the last moment, while young people often do not hide that they do not plan to participate in the elections.
Voter turnout is affected by holding several elections at the same time
Election activity in Lithuania
Lithuanians have to be active in a total of three different elections this year. The first round of the presidential election is currently underway and a second round is expected. The European Parliament elections in the summer, and the Lithuanian parliament should also be elected in the fall.
Lina Petroniene, chairwoman of the Central Election Commission of Lithuania, does not rule out that
voter passivity can manifest itself in the European Parliament elections, which this time do not coincide with other election days, which usually encourage voter turnout.
“In the last elections, the turnout was 53%, because the European Parliament elections coincided with the second round of the presidential elections. In addition, they were elections in which the president had to change, because Dalia Grybauskaite had already been in office for two terms, so the citizens were even more interested in the elections and people participated more actively also in the European Parliament elections,” explains Petroniene.
On the other hand, in 2009, the European Parliament elections did not overlap with the presidential elections, and then the turnout was only 21%. But it was only the second European Parliament election. “I think our voters didn’t know too much about it. Brussels seemed too far from Vilnius.
I hope that now Brussels has become closer, and I expect voter turnout higher than 21%,” Petroniene said.
In Lithuania, the largest group of voters is aged 44-75. In the previous European Parliament elections, the older generation around the age of 74 voted the most, and their turnout reached 64%. Meanwhile, for example, voter turnout of 24-year-olds and younger in Lithuania is usually only around 20%.
“Of course, we are also happy with 50% turnout, but it is not very good. We would like it to be at least 60% of the voters,” added the chairman of the Central Election Commission of Lithuania.
She pointed out that this year is complicated because politicians have to run three campaigns, but political parties have very limited financial resources. “It is not easy to implement so many campaigns in one calendar year, because it requires a lot of money.
And against the backdrop of the Lithuanian parliamentary and presidential elections, it is the European Parliament elections that are most in the shadows,” admits Petroniene.
Summer is an unsuitable time for elections
Most of the residents interviewed by Latvian Radio in the center of Vilnius admit that they are busy with the first round of the presidential election this week and do not delve into other lists of candidates.
Armins from Lithuania says that this does not mean that he will not take part in the European Parliament elections, but speaking about voter turnout in general, in his opinion, summer is the most unsuitable time for it.
“When exactly the elections take place also has a big impact on the activity, because people go to the countryside in the summer or do some gardening, and usually everyone does it on holidays. They go out of town and don’t think about the elections, but I will also take part in the European Parliament elections ,” says Armin.
Asked about the priorities of the European Parliament in the next term, Armins mentions defense. “This is very important, but culture and education are also very important areas, because if there is high-quality education, everything else moves in the right direction, but if there is a bad education system, all kinds of problems arise,” he says.
The new mothers Egle and Agota also say that they are not thinking about the European Parliament yet, and joke that the two most important priorities in the country are the presidential elections and Eurovision.
However, at the same time, the two Lithuanian women also share their thoughts on European priorities and the possible passivity of people in the elections.
“Knowing the current situation in Europe and the world, we need a strong core that knows how to face these challenges. These are the most important issues – the war in Ukraine, what is the vision and involvement of the European Union,” shares Agota’s thoughts.
“I think it is also important to participate in the European Parliament elections, but I think that we are getting more involved in our national politics lately. Also, I have heard in the news about our MEPs that they do not have very high participation statistics in decisions, and this is surprising and maybe even confusing for voters,” admits Egle.
On the other hand, Elana, a pensioner, says that she already knows how she will vote in the upcoming European Parliament elections in June, because she has long trusted a certain political force in Lithuania.
Elana’s parents were deported after World War II, and she herself was born in exile in a part of Russia. One of the priorities of the lady, going to the elections, is a clear position of politicians in relation to the war in Ukraine.
“I choose by party and I also evaluate what kind of people are candidates, whether they work or do nothing. There are politicians who describe and tell what they do in the European Parliament, but there are also those who do not even know English. And I am currently very supportive of Ukraine and I want it to win. My priority is security and relations with Russia. I lived under Russian rule for 50 years. I live well now it’s enough, and my children live well too. I’m very satisfied,” says Elana.
Meanwhile, pensioner Renata is convinced that Lithuania has enough suitable politicians to be elected to the European Parliament. In the new convocation, she hopes to see a strong cohesion of the member states.
“It is the mutual support of the countries and, so to speak, the sense of community, being in the European Union.
It is not so important which parties or countries are leading in the European Union, but it is important that we all have a common strategy,” says Renata.
Young people are the most inactive voters
As the representative of the Lithuanian Central Committee pointed out, the least active population group in the European Parliament elections are precisely the young people. Also in the center of Vilnius, part of the interviewed young people admitted that they do not plan to participate in the elections or do not feel like the target audience of the political offer at all.
“It is not interesting for young people, and in general it is very difficult to keep the attention of young people. I will not take part in the elections.
I don’t really care, I leave it to my parents. They will make the right choice.
Yes, maybe I can support their choice if they have strong arguments about those people,” admits Ustia. “Politics is not one of the topics of conversation in the family. I should hear more of what those politicians have to offer us.”
Meanwhile, Dominiks plans to participate in the European Parliament elections, as these politicians will represent Lithuania in the European Union. On the other hand, Augusta admits that she wants to learn more and research information about these elections, because she is currently interested in the presidential elections.
“I just don’t believe they can change anything. Maybe if I don’t have anything to do at the time, I’ll go to the polls. But if I had to choose, I don’t know the difference between all the parties and candidates to make my choice, ” says Mats.
Around 90% of Lithuanians perceive the European Union positively
In general, Lithuanians have a very positive attitude towards the European Union. This is evidenced by the latest “Eurobarometer” survey – about 90% of Lithuanian respondents call membership in the European Union a benefit, which is higher than the average figure in the member states (71%), says Ramūns Vilpišausks, professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science of the University of Vilnius.
In the opinion of the political scientist, these survey data will not result in much greater voter activity either. He believes that there is a wide range of represented interests in Lithuanian politics, but the expert explains the passivity of the voters in the European Parliament elections with the high level of satisfaction of the mentioned Lithuanians with the European Union as a whole.
“It may sound paradoxical, but it [vēlētāju pasivitāte EP vēlēšanās] could be due to the fact that
citizens are mostly satisfied with membership in the European Union. And this is one of the reasons why there is relatively little interest in these elections,” admits the political scientist.
In France, for example, there is a very tense situation regarding who will win.
“Marina Le Pena is leading there at the moment and it seems to me that President Emmanuel Macron is trying more to activate his voters, but there is no such intense political debate about the European Parliament in Lithuania. According to the latest polls, the most popular parties here are the ones that have been at the top until now. They are the opposition social democrats, conservative parties and the Union of Lithuanian Farmers and Greens,” Vilpišausks explains.
“This shows how the voter sees political parties and not so specific politicians who currently work in the European Parliament. I think there is very little understanding of what the elected Lithuanian MPs do there and what their achievements are,” admits the political scientist.
Political scientist: Citizens do not see the direct impact of EP decisions on everyday life
He also points out that, despite the fact that in recent years our concerns have become more united and many challenges are global, such as the pandemic and the war started by Russia in Ukraine, the citizens of the member states still do not see the direct impact of the decisions of the European Parliament on their daily lives, as is the case with elections and decisions at the national level.
“The European Union has relatively little influence in decisions related to national education or health systems, taxes or the defense system, which are the most important things for Lithuanian voters at the moment. I think this is the rational explanation.
People think – if the European Union is less important in matters that most affect me as an individual, then why go to vote!?” the political scientist considers.
The expert also does not see the efforts of politicians to increase voter turnout and reach new audiences.
“Our politicians also perceive these elections as less important compared to the Seimas elections, which we will have in the fall. For many parties, these European Parliament elections are just a training session before the local elections to test their popularity. It is also an opportunity to increase their visibility, because many parties do not have a chance to win even one seat in the European Parliament, but they participate anyway. The main motive, in my opinion, is to use this as an opportunity to increase visibility, except for certain politicians who see a seat in the European Parliament as a good source of income or as a stepping stone in their political career.” explains the expert.
Lithuanian political scientist Ramūns Vilpišauskas currently does not see significant risks in the low voter turnout, which would give advantages to only one political force. According to him, the outcome of this year’s elections will reflect the general mood of the voters. However, at the same time, the political scientist reminds that during the long years of Soviet occupation, many people in Lithuania and other countries dreamed of this freedom to vote, so he calls on the citizens to perceive it not only as a civic duty, but more as an opportunity.
Tags: Lithuania voter turnout European Parliament elections predicted Article
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